Mark Ryden – The Gay Nineties West Art Gallery

Mark Ryden - The Gay Nineties West Art Gallery | Third Monk image 6

mark-ryden-art-DSCN2761

Mark Ryden’s The Gay Nineties West at the Kohn Gallery was a wonderful success.

The artist explores Victorian decorative design, clichéd notions of “Main Street USA,” small business and immigration (“The Meat Shop”), and vaudeville shows with a dark and complex sentimentality. Integrating the Christ figure and Abraham Lincoln with his wide-eyed, petticoat clad ingénues, Ryden presents the viewer with an unreal and very oddly camp version of American history.

His is an exploration of what becomes cliché, what becomes kitsch and what becomes forgotten.

Yet through it all Ryden makes some of the most richly rendered, beautifully glazed, idealized yet disturbing works of contemporary art. Like his contemporaries John Currin, Lisa Yuskavage and Neo Rauch, Mark Ryden uses a skillfully honed technique to render his polished and emotionally charged works.

The Gay Nineties West Art Gallery

mark-ryden-art-DSCN2764 mark-ryden-art-DSCN2771 mark-ryden-art-DSCN2772 mark-ryden-art-DSCN2773 mark-ryden-art-DSCN2774 mark-ryden-art-DSCN2776 mark-ryden-art-DSCN2777 mark-ryden-art-DSCN2778 mark-ryden-art-DSCN2763mark-ryden-art-DSCN2784 mark-ryden-art-DSCN2786

 Mark Ryden Sketches and Framework

mark-ryden-art-DSCN2796 mark-ryden-art-DSCN2787

 

mark-ryden-art-DSCN27921 mark-ryden-art-DSCN2791 mark-ryden-art-IMG_9483

> The Gay 90’s | Kohn Gallery

Making Smiles Through Street Art in Urban Environments by Oakoak

Making Smiles Through Street Art in Urban Environments by Oakoak | Third Monk image 5

Oakoak uses his humourous street art to make his hometown, St. Etienne, France, less “grey”. Humor is the most important element in Oakoak’s creative process, and he sprinkles it liberally whenever he has the chance.

My main interest is giving importance to places and objects that people don’t notice anymore. I walk a lot every day and that’s how I get to find new attractive places with urban elements such as broken walls.

When I see something interesting during my walks, I measure it and study it, and I come back later to make the collage. – Oakoak, Bulkka

oak-oak-9 oak-oak-8 oak-oak-7 oak oak-6 oak oak-4 oak oak-3 Street-Art-by-Oak oak-in-France Street-Art-by-Oak oak-in-France-463423 Street-Art-by-Oak oak-in-France-75474567

Leonardo da Vinci, The Psychedelic Visual Biography by Ralph Steadman (Gallery)

Leonardo da Vinci, The Psychedelic Visual Biography by Ralph Steadman (Gallery) | Third Monk image 20

Freud once observed that the great Renaissance man Leonardo da Vinci was “like a man who awoke too early in the darkness, while the others were all still asleep.” His visionary anatomical illustrations changed the course of modern medicine, and he knew how to play the long game of the creative life.

British cartoonist Ralph Steadman, famously known for his collaborations with Hunter S Thompson developed a great obsession with Leonardo da Vinci in the early 1980s. He began to paint Leonardo’s inventions, as well as countless drawings of Leonardo himself, and eventually even traveled to Italy to stand where Leonardo stood, seeking to envision what it was like to inhabit that endlessly imaginative mind and boundless spirit.

steadmanleonardo4 steadmanleonardo20

Steadman released I, Leonardo (public library) — a remarkable “autobiography” of Da Vinci as imagined by Steadman, written in the first person and illustrated in the cartoonist’s unmistakable style.

Funny, poignant, sometimes gory, sometimes optimistic, always intensely intelligent, Steadman’s story stretches from Leonardo’s boyhood experiments to his dying words, granting equal dignity to his triumphs as a genius and his doubts and disappointments as a human being.
steadmanleonardo19 steadmanleonardo18 steadmanleonardo17 steadmanleonardo16 steadmanleonardo13 steadmanleonardo11 steadmanleonardo12

The eyes … are the chief means whereby the understanding may most fully and abundantly appreciate the infinite works of nature.

The eye counsels all the arts of mankind … it is the prince of mathematics … it has given birth to architecture and to perspective and to the divine art of painting. Painting encompasses all the ten functions of the eye, that is, darkness, light, body, color, shape, location, remoteness, nearness, motion and rest.

Because of the eye the soul is content to stay in its bodily prison, for without it such imprisonment is torture. Who would believe that so small a space could confirm the image of all the universe?

– Much of Steadman’s narrative is woven from Leonardo’s own musings, collected in his Thoughts on Art and Life (which is available as a free download).

steadmanleonardo10 steadmanleonardo9 steadmanleonardo8 steadmanleonardo71 steadmanleonardo6 steadmanleonardo5 steadmanleonardo3 steadmanleonardo2 steadmanleonardo15 steadmanleonardo1 steadmanleonardo21

Beloved British Artist Ralph Steadman Illustrates the Life of Leonardo da Vinci | Brain Pickings

Surreality GIFs by Bill Domonkos (Gallery)

Surreality GIFs by Bill Domonkos (Gallery) | Third Monk image 5

Bill Domonkos is a visual artist and filmmaker.

His work has been shown internationally in cinemas, film festivals, galleries and museums.

Domonkos’ surreal GIFs are created using archival photos and vintage film footage, effectively smacking reality in the face, leaving us with a sense of the impossible made surreal.

Surreality GIFs by Bill Domonkos

Zero One

Bill Domonkos GIFs

Equus 

Domonkos GIFs 1

Cloaked 

Domonkos GIFs 2

Taxi Driver

Domonkos GIFs 3

Horsetail Falls

Domonkos GIFs 4

Tesseract No.6159

Bill Domonkos GIFs 5

Multiverse

tumblr_inline_mt33pztfNk1qj79oe

Dutch Roll

tumblr_inline_mt33a1geow1qj79oe

Birder

tumblr_inline_mt33agWVUY1qj79oe

Sticks and Stones

tumblr_inline_mpixxhuijV1qj79oe

Flora

tumblr_inline_mt33b3BAOR1qj79oe

The Refrigerator Awakes

tumblr_inline_mpiyf9NCDT1qj79oe

Bonini’s Paradox 

tumblr_inline_mt33etYN0W1qj79oe

Portal

tumblr_inline_n7brseebDL1qj79oe

tumblr_mstnw8XfJC1qkdrkzo1_r1_400

billdomonkos6

tumblr_inline_mt3395fwKK1qj79oe

tumblr_n8glrghd8w1qkdrkzo1_r3_400

Surreal Dream Art From 1970s Japanese Culture (Gallery)

Surreal Dream Art From 1970s Japanese Culture (Gallery) | Third Monk image 5

Combining dreams and art produces psychedelic imagery because they share the same boundless canvas.

Surreal dream visions are highlighted in these dream art scans from 50watt’s collection of 1970s’ Japanese illustration catalogs.

Shigeru Izumiya

15-sleep-teriyaki023-shigeru-izumiya-magazine-illus-c1981_900

Hidetoshi Umeda

11-sleep-teriyaki025-hidetoshi-umeda-magazine-illus-c1981-b_900

05-sleep-teriyaki024-hidetoshi-umeda-magazine-illus-c1981 Dream Art

Ryu Kumita

06-sleep-teriyaki003-ryu-kumita-workbook-c1981

Tadami Yamada

10-sleep-teriyaki037-Tadami-Yamada--c-late-70s_900

Shuhei Hasegawa

08-sleep-teriyaki001-shuhei-hasegawa-c1981_Dream Art

Haruo Takino

07-space012_Haruo Takino- early 70s_900

Toshinobu Imai

04-sleep-teriyaki020-toshinobu-imai-magazine-illus-c1981-2_900

Yukio Ueda

20-sleep-teriyaki046-Yukio-Ueda-c-late-70s_900

Hanmo Sugiuura

02-sleep-teriyaki028-hanmo-sugiuura-advertisisng-poster-c1981_900

Ayahuasca Visions: Shamanic Psychedelic Visionary Art, Nisvan Gallery

Ayahuasca Visions: Shamanic Psychedelic Visionary Art, Nisvan Gallery | Third Monk image 8

00_Nisvan-ayahuasca-visions

It can be tough to take the psychedelic plunge and still remember to bring a bit of that often indescribable essence back with you, to the real world. Fortunately, Nisvan’s ability to recall his Ayahuasca visions is in full display.

Enjoy Nisvan’s incredible visionary art inspired by his psychedelic shamanic ayahuasca ceremonies.

Nisvan’s Ayahuasca Visions

Inner vision

01_Nisvan-ayahuasca

Letting go of physical restrictions, shifting into a multi-layered consciousness of sound/light vibrations.

El Rey Leon

02_Nisvan-Lion

Power animal, giving strength and protection on the inner levels.

Flight of the Eagle

03_Nisvan-eagle

Travelling with lightspeed to the outer realms.

We are star-princes

04_Nisvan-spirits

Two elders appear, offering healing to the soul.

Spectral bat-insect

06_Nisvan-yage

Trying to hide in the folds of my memory.

Galactic knights assembling

07_Nisvan-galactic_knights

Entering the inner-space dome

08_Nisvan-dmt

Palace of light

09_Nisvan-light

Dark Chrissalis bird of habit disintegrated at the treshold of the palace of light.

Healing Buddhas

10_Nisvan-healing

Appearing in caleidoscopic mandala vision, beaming their love directly from the source

Harmony

11_Nisvan-buddha

Sky Prince

12_Nisvan-shaman

Having awareness of heavenly constellations.

Ancestors: the Chief

15_Nisvan-chief

Cosmic man

17_Nisvan-visionary

 Beyond the body, resonating with the stars.

Golden Birdman

21_Nisvan-birdman

Not of this world

23_Nisvan_not_of_this_world > Shamanic Psychedelic Art | Ultra Feel

Creative Street Art Murals in Malaysia by Ernest Zacharevic

Creative Street Art Murals in Malaysia by Ernest Zacharevic | Third Monk image 4

Ernest Zacharevic completed several murals depicting Malaysian locals and their way of life, but also painted a few of his signature pieces that humorously depict children or animals interacting with elements of buildings or other nearby objects.

Zacharevic is from Lithuania but is a permanent resident of Malaysia, and is well-known in the region for his street art.

ernest-7 e9bd6f62965956678a12994698690f0a ErnestZacharevic-Penang-Malaysia-Beach10 Street-Art-by-Ernest-Zacharevic-in-Johor-Bahru-Malaysia-54857 371907-lego-mural
ernest-8 ernest-5 ernest-4 ernest-3 ernest-9
Whimsical New Murals by Ernest Zacharevic Play with Their Surroundings on the Streets of Malaysia | Colossal

Psychedelic Geometric GIFs by David Whyte

Psychedelic Geometric GIFs by David Whyte | Third Monk image 1

David Whyte’s minimalistic use of geometric shapes and psychedelic color places an increased emphasis on motion, and leaves one dumbstruck at how he conceives of each Geometric GIF.

Geometric GIF 8 7 tumblr_mxhusq5LkH1r2geqjo1_r2_500 tumblr_msvh0zTnlv1r2geqjo1_500 5 2 (1) 1 bonus1 bonus4

David Whyte’s background in mathematics and physics greatly enhanced his understanding of motion and geometry and it wasn’t long before he was churning out some of the most popular geometric GIF animations shared on his Tumblr, Bees & Bombs.

In a somewhat rare move he happens to be quite open about his methods and often posts source code and tips to help other artists.  – Colossal

Alice in Wonderland Painted by Salvador Dalí, Art Gallery

Alice in Wonderland Painted by Salvador Dalí, Art Gallery | Third Monk image 13

salvador-dali_alice-in-wonderland

In 1969, a collaboration of epic proportion took place as Alice in Wonderland was illustrated by Salvador Dalí.

The art book went on to become one of the most sought-after Dalí suites of all time. It contains 12 heliogravures, one for each chapter of the book, and one original signed etching in 4 colors as the frontpiece, all of which have been kindly digitized by the William Bennett Gallery

Alice’s Evidence

alicedali13

The Lobster’s Quadrille

alicedali11

The Mock Turtle’s Story

alicedali10

The Queen’s Croquet Ground

alicedali9

Mad Tea Party

alicedali8

Pig and Pepper

alicedali7

Advice From a Caterpillar

alicedali6

The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill

alicedali5

A Caucus Race and a Long Tale

alicedali4

The Pool of Tears

alicedali3

Down the Rabbit Hole

alicedali2

Frontpiece

alicedali1Salvador Dalí Illustrates Alice in Wonderland, 1969 | Brain Pickings

Street Art Around the World Will Be Archived by Google

Street Art Around the World Will Be Archived by Google | Third Monk image 1

google-Street Art

Google has created a new initiative: The Street Art Project, an ambitious endeavor to document street art around the world.

The project has launched with over 5,000 images and 100 exhibitions covering an international array of artists and street art hot spots.

For an example of an exhibition, see Google’s documentation of New York City’s famed 5 Pointz project.

Some art is also explorable via street view — for an example see the Tour Paris 13 building.

google-5

google-3

google-2

google-1

Snap Shots of The Psychedelic Realm and Ego Death – Alex Grey

Snap Shots of The Psychedelic Realm and Ego Death - Alex Grey | Third Monk image 2

6a00e54fbd413788330147e0829ea8970b

With the publication of Sacred Mirrors: The Visionary Art of Alex Grey in 1990, the psychedelic community soon discovered that the art contained within its pages resonated to many like miraculous snap shots of the psychedelic realm, faithfully rendered vistas brought back with great skill from the far shores of the visionary experience.

My art has always been in response to visions. Rather than confine myself to representations of the outer worlds, I include portrayals of multi-dimensional imaginal realms that pull us towards consciousness evolution.

– Alex Grey

The use of Alex Grey’s artwork on the album covers and stage shows of bands like Tool and The Beastie Boys greatly increased his general popularity with youth culture, while the inclusion of his artwork in the actual Burning Man structure in 2006 essentially anointed his chosen status as this generation’s most important psychedelic artist.

In the earliest body of work that has established Alex Grey’s special place in psychedelic history, his art manages to blend the physical realms of the human body—a feat in itself only achieved by many years of training in medical drawings—with the psychic energy fields and auras of the mystics and quantum physicists, the knowledge of which has come to the artist from years of meditation, study, and contemplation.Alex_Grey-Praying

Human figures are stripped of their covering (“the skin encapsulated Ego”) to reveal a complex multi-colored system of organs, bones, veins, and arteries that can be seen to be generating rainbow fields and crackles of pure white energy that penetrate the vacuum in every direction, an effect that could seem ghoulish were it not for the presence of the subjects eyes, which gaze out at the viewer with an often astonishing humanity and are revealed as the true ‘windows of the soul’.

Alex Grey has said that after the unexpected death of Terence McKenna, he felt that he (and others) had felt the call to ‘step up and speak out about psychedelics’ to try and occupy the void in psychedelic culture that Terence’s early departure created. And one of the reasons that Alex Grey has become the most popular speaker on psychedelics since Terence McKenna—and perhaps the thing that separates him from other visionary artists—is the fact that there is a serious philosophy behind Alex’s work, and that he himself has been (and continues to be) one of the great students of psychedelic history.

1318771422-spharr_cl_agphoto_1011_copy

The Second Psychedelic Revolution: Alex Grey, The Mystic-Artist | Reality Sandwich